Mail-separating device for pigeonholes.



W. MANN.

MAIL SEPARATING DEVICE FOR 'PIGEONHOLES. APPLICATION men MAY3, 191s.

" 1,217,973. Patented Mgr. 6,1917.

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MAIL-SEPARATING DEVICE FOR PIGEONHOLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 3, 1916. Serial No. 95,2G7.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM MANN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ba yonne, in the county of Hudson, State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Mail-Separating Device for Pigeonholes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of'theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved mail separating device for pigeon-holes of the letter carriers desk.

In the postal service of the Postoffice De partment, there'are different classes of mail matter, and to promptly and accuratelydeliver the mail, a series of pigeon-holes is used, in which one class of mail matter is assorted, then subsequently removed and tied together in diiferent bundles. After which the pigeon-holes are temporarily subdivided, into which other mail matter is assorted.

At the present time there is employed a subdividing device for the pigeon-holes, which consists of a fiat elongated board having wire arms, and designed to fit in a hole of a pigeon-hole cabinet, so that the wire arms may be used for sub-dividing the pigeon-holes. This ln'nd of device has been found impractical, for the wire arms are continually becoming detached, and moreover, each pigeon-hole cabinet requires a number of these subdividing devices, and when it is necessary to use the pigeon-holes without being subdivided, it becomes necessary to re move said devices. These devices when removed are in the way around the letter carriers desk, and very frequently some of thembecome lost or misplaced.

Therefore, it is the object of the present invention to provide an improved subdividing device for pigeon-holes, to hold different class mail matter separated permanently carried by the pigeon-hole cabinet, and which device when not needed may be rocked in its bearings so that the wire arms will be thrown into the pigeon-holes below.

In practical fields the details of construction may necessitate alterations, falling within the scope of what is claimed.

The invention comprises further features and combination of parts, as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of apigeon-hole cabinet showing the improved subdividing devi'ces applied thereto, two of which being thrown out of position.

Fig. 2 is a verticalsectional'view through the case of pigeon holes," showing the mail separating devices. r

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the devices detached.

Referringmore especially to the drawing, 1 designates a cabinet having a plurality of pigeon-holes 2 arranged in rows. Mounted in bearings adjacent each row, that is, ad'- jacent the bottom ofeach row of pigeonholes is a rocking rod or shaft 4. Integrally carried by the rod is a plurality of wire arms 5; Each wire arm at its lower end" has a right angled bent portion 6, which connects integrally with the rod, therefore, when the wire arm is in a vertical position, the right angled extending portion partially extends into the pigeon-hole, thereby position ing the vertical part 7 of the arm partially within the pigeon-hole. When the subdividing wire arms are thrown or moved from their vertical positions, the right angled ex- Patented. Mar. 6,1917.

tending portions permit the arms to extend under the bottom of each row of pigeonholes, and in parallelism and closely adjacent the bottom. One end of the rocking shaft or rod is provided with a spring lever arm 9 having a handle 10, whereby the rod or shaft may be rocked or manipulated, to

throw the subdividing arms under the bot tom of each row of pigeon-holes. Secured upon one end face of the cabinet is a plurality of curved plates 11 having teeth 12, the curvature of which plate being on a radius from the rocking rods or shafts, there being one plate for each shaft. It is to be seen that the spring lever arms are designed to engage the teeth of said plates, so as to hold the wire arm either in vertical positions for subdividing the pigeon-holes, or under the bottoms of the rows of pigeonholes, or in intermediate positions. When held in intermediate positions, the wire arms may be used as mail supporting means, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The

spring arm 9 is used for holding the sub-- dividing wire arms as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed as new and useful is:

1. A subdividing device for a row of pigeon-holes, comprising a rocking rod tending wire arms each of which has an angular bent portion at its lower end integrally connected to the rocking rod and a designed to partially extend into the pigeon-hole to hold the vertical part of the wire arm in a vertical position partly within the pigeon-hole, said rocking rod adapted to be rotated whereby said bent portions are designed to extend downwardly adjacent the front edge of the bottom of each pigeonhole, to cause said arms to extend into the pigeon-hole below and adjacent the under face of the bottom.

2. A subdividing device for a row of pigeon-holes, comprising a rocking rod mounted in bearings on the frame of the pigeon-holes, a plurality of upwardly extending wire arms each of which has an angular bent portion at its lower end integrally connected to the rocking rod and designed to partially extend into the pigeonhole to hold the vertical part of the wire arm in a vertical position partly within the pigeon-hole, said rocking rod adapted to be rotated whereby said bent portions are designed to extend downwardly adjacent the front edge of the bottom of each pigeonhole, to cause said arms to extend into the pigeon-hole below and adjacent the under face of the bottom, one end of the rocking rod having a spring lever arm, and a curved plate on one end of the cabinet having teeth to be engaged by the lever arm to hold the rocking rod in different adjusted positions, to hold the wire arms vertically, or outwardly from the pigeon-holes, or under the bottom of the pigeon-holes.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM MANN.

Witnesses:

EDWARD J. OBRIEN, CORNELIUS J. DESMOND.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

